12 Hours in...Angel

To celebrate the launch of the brand new Lucy Loves This book, London Letters were are continuing to share how you can spend 12 hours in some of our favourite areas in London. The book features 26 pull-out maps of popular London neighbourhoods from angel to ZSL London Zoo, meaning there's no excuse to be bored in London! The illustrated maps feature must visit cafes, parks, shops and streets for you to explore in each area and today we're talking about Angel...

One of the LLT team members, Nancy, is a North London girl so spends most of her time exploring the pretty streets of Islington. She has lots of great hidden gems to share with you today so over to you Nancy!

I really love Angel, it can be quite an overlooked area as the main streets are full of chains and to be honest, at a glance it's not the most charming of areas. When you dig a little deeper though, you'll realise just how magical this part of Islington can be. I love to spend an afternoon wandering around the pretty back streets and exploring the small green spaces.

My top tips for a day in Angel

1. Start your day with a coffee at Kipferl, an amazing little Viennese cafe and restaurant that specialises in authentic Austrian food. The interior is really cool and modern and the cakes are incredible!

2. After your coffee take a stroll down Camden Passage where there are lots of little independent shops and a vintage market on most days of the week, I love the winding passageways!

3. Smug is my favourite shop in Angel, plus its right in the centre of Camden Passage. It's full of beautiful homeware, artwork and stationery. A great place for gifts.

4. Why not take a stroll along the Regent's Canal? It runs straight through Angel and also connects onto some beautiful gardens like Duncan Terrace Gardens.

5. After a wander down Upper Street pop into Bellanger for dinner, they serve classic French dishes and the interior is absolutely stunning. You'll feel as though you've gone back in time!

6. There are many great places in the area for an after dinner drink but my favourite is
69 Colebrooke Row aka "the bar with no name". It's a tiny speakeasy-style bar with experimental cocktails.

7. If you fancy catching a late night film you can head to the Screen on the Green, a lovely independent cinema.

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We hope you enjoyed this little insight into Nancy's absolute favourite spots in Angel. Please do take a look at the book here and let us know what you think!